Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods arrive suddenly, causing catastrophic losses and ruining people’s lives and property.A tornado is a whirling type of air column that rises from the surface of the Earth and becomes a storm. Such a storm hit a tri-state of America in 1925, which included Indiana, Southern Illinois, and Missouri. The central parts of America are well-known for their tornadoes and are sometimes referred to as ‘Tornado Alley’. Warm and moist weather conditions allow for the creation of a horizontal column that rises from the ground, while storms and rain make the tornado take the shape of a funnel. On March 18, 1925, the F5 Great Tri-State Tornado was one of the deadliest tornadoes in the history of the United States; it killed almost a hundred people and injured thousands of others. The tornado hit very suddenly and traveled a long distance from Missouri to Indiana. The majority of tornadoes are known to cause significant damage to the areas they strike. The ones rising from the ground or in touch with the ground are considered to be the deadliest. This also led to the Wabash River flood near Griffin.The tornado, along with flooding and rain, killed many people and is still remembered by the people of the area. There are many theories given by weather forecasters that a similar tornado will take place again one day, following the same route. After the tornado, the surviving people mostly relied on local newspapers, mail from the government, and word of mouth from one family to another to get any information about the number of people killed, along with the number of people injured. For a moment, you might wonder how a tornado that lasted for three hours and 45 minutes could cause such devastation. With its high speed, it covered three states in such a short period of time, moving to northeast parts of America.If you enjoy reading this article about the Great Tri-state Tornado and the property damage caused by the deadliest tornado outbreak, then do read some interesting and surprising fun facts about the 1888 blizzard and 1776 solar eclipse.How bad was the Tri-Sate Tornado?The Tri-State Tornado was one of the deadliest tornadoes in US history, killing 695-747 people and causing severe injuries to another 2027–2298 people.The Tri-State Tornado struck three states in America on March 18, 1925, causing further heavy losses to the communities living in the geographical locations that it passed through. The Tri-State Tornado was one of the largest tornadoes and the second deadliest in world history. The single tornado traveled 235 mi (378 km).It started with an average speed of 70 mph (113 kph) from southern Missouri, crossed southern Illinois, and ended up in southern Indiana. The tornado storms were so strong that they destroyed 164 sq mi (425 sq km) of land and killed many people. One-third of the victims of the tornado were children. The last surviving victim of the tornado died on January 3, 1926.From the Gulf of Mexico, the high and warm temperature of 50 F (10 C), which was higher than normal, led to a warm air rush in the sky. This lifting mechanism later merged into the tornado of March 18, 1925. The tornado was large and spiraling, with the skies becoming gray in color. This turned the southeast parts of Missouri into a smoky fog, and this smoky fog was so deadly that it not only affected that particular area but also another three states. Why was the Tri-State Tornado so deadly?The Tri-State Tornado killed hundreds of people while also destroying several square miles of land and causing a catastrophic situation.You could imagine how badly the tornado’s victims were affected. It was considered the deadliest tornado because of its speed. It started with an average speed of 62 mph (100 kph), and as it moved, it increased to a speed of 73 mph (117.5 kph). It almost covered a mining town. The severe weather started on March 18, 1925, crossed the Mississippi River, and reached southern Indiana. The duration of the tornado was three hours and 45 minutes, ending in the late afternoon.It became one of the more significant tornadoes in history because of the destruction that this disaster caused. It was like a quick storm that formed all of a sudden after midday and went off with a quick snap. The smoky fog, like a tornado, came all the way down from Ozark Hills town. It almost destroyed 90% of the property, and the hardest-hit areas were Annapolis, Gorham, Parrish, and Griffin.How much money did the Tri-State Tornado cost?Around $17 million of property was destroyed by the storm, which would be about $1.4 billion in today’s money.An economic cost is something that can be recovered, but the loss of living beings, be they animals or humans, is much more permanent and tragic. The Tri-State Tornado was a large tornado in the F5 category. This is also the longest tornado ever recorded in history and took a path that was not expected as per the weather expertise of the time.It destroyed around 15,000 homes and killed nearly 700 people, out of which one-third were children. Nine schools were reported to be damaged in the three states covering the southernmost parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.How long did it take to clean up after the tornado?It is not known exactly how long it took to recover from the March 18, 1925 tornado. However, people have estimated that it took almost a month, or more likely a year, to recover completely from the destruction caused by the tornado.It caused around $17 million worth of property destruction; hence, it is one of the deadliest tornadoes in US history. Unknown to most, what the survivors had to deal with in the aftermath of this tornado is beyond the imagination of most people. Almost 13 counties in three states had to deal with the tragic aftermath of this natural disaster on March 18, 1925. This tornado affected the lives of many people in the areas that it traveled through.Not only was property damage caused, but many people were also killed. The last surviving victim of the tornado was reported dead on January 3, 1926. He was 46 years old and a coal miner who could not survive his injuries. It is assumed that one-third of the Tri-State tornado victims were mostly young children.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘1925 Tristate tornado facts that will put your brain in a spin’, then why not take a look at ‘1935 Houston flood’, or ‘1939 Australia fire’?
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods arrive suddenly, causing catastrophic losses and ruining people’s lives and property.
